Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Asad Umar was arrested by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) from the premises of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday.
Umar was taken into custody by the CTD personnel of the Islamabad police from outside the IHC Bar Room, where he and other PTI leaders were drafting a petition for the IHC requesting a meeting with PTI Chairman Imran Khan.
Witnesses said that the PTI lawyers battled with police to avert Umar’s detention, but the CTD personnel eventually overpowered them and dragged the PTI leader away.
Following the demonstrations that broke out in the wake of Imran Khan's arrest, Umar was charged in two cases filed against him and other PTI leaders. The cases were filed at the Tarnol and Aabpara police stations in Islamabad.
PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Senator Saifullah Sarwar Khan Nyazee, and Ghulam Sarwar Khan were also on the court premises when the CTD personnel took Umar into custody.
After Umar was arrested by the police, the three leaders went back to the IHC's bar room. The police attempted to arrest Qureshi as well, but Qureshi's lawyers and other party members prevented them from doing so.
Earlier, PTI leader and former governor of Punjab, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, was detained by anti-corruption police in Punjab.
Cheema was reportedly taken into custody early in the morning from his Lahore residence. He is charged with abusing his position as governor and using a forged family registration document to give his sister a stake.
The former Punjab governor was taken into custody by ‘unknown’ persons in plain clothing, the family said. "They did not inform us on what charges they had taken Omar Cheema into custody," they added.
Protests broke out across the country following PTI chief Imran Khan’s detention from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) grounds, where he was present for biometric verification in two cases.
On Tuesday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Sindh chapter President Ali Zaidi was detained by Karachi police after violent protests broke out in the city as a result of PTI chief Imran Khan’s arrest in the federal capital in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case.
The PTI leadership has directed its workers to demonstrate against Khan’s arrest, and an "emergency committee" that was established in the event of his arrest will soon make clear what will happen next.
After this, PTI workers staged violent demonstrations in a number of cities, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Peshawar, and Mardan.
Protesters and police engaged in physical altercations near the nursery area on Sharea Faisal in Karachi. The PTI workers destroyed a bus, tore down street lights, and flung stones at and set fire to police cars. According to reports, police shot tear gas rounds at the demonstrators.
Other cities where protests took place also saw public property damaged, including Rawalpindi and Lahore.
Zaidi was released from jail on bond just days before his arrest after reaching an "out-of-court settlement" with the complainant in a fraud case.
At least 23 PTI workers have also been detained as a result of the demonstrations at Sharea Faisal.
Umar was taken into custody by the CTD personnel of the Islamabad police from outside the IHC Bar Room, where he and other PTI leaders were drafting a petition for the IHC requesting a meeting with PTI Chairman Imran Khan.
Witnesses said that the PTI lawyers battled with police to avert Umar’s detention, but the CTD personnel eventually overpowered them and dragged the PTI leader away.
Following the demonstrations that broke out in the wake of Imran Khan's arrest, Umar was charged in two cases filed against him and other PTI leaders. The cases were filed at the Tarnol and Aabpara police stations in Islamabad.
PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Senator Saifullah Sarwar Khan Nyazee, and Ghulam Sarwar Khan were also on the court premises when the CTD personnel took Umar into custody.
After Umar was arrested by the police, the three leaders went back to the IHC's bar room. The police attempted to arrest Qureshi as well, but Qureshi's lawyers and other party members prevented them from doing so.
Earlier, PTI leader and former governor of Punjab, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, was detained by anti-corruption police in Punjab.
Cheema was reportedly taken into custody early in the morning from his Lahore residence. He is charged with abusing his position as governor and using a forged family registration document to give his sister a stake.
The former Punjab governor was taken into custody by ‘unknown’ persons in plain clothing, the family said. "They did not inform us on what charges they had taken Omar Cheema into custody," they added.
Protests broke out across the country following PTI chief Imran Khan’s detention from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) grounds, where he was present for biometric verification in two cases.
On Tuesday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Sindh chapter President Ali Zaidi was detained by Karachi police after violent protests broke out in the city as a result of PTI chief Imran Khan’s arrest in the federal capital in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case.
The PTI leadership has directed its workers to demonstrate against Khan’s arrest, and an "emergency committee" that was established in the event of his arrest will soon make clear what will happen next.
After this, PTI workers staged violent demonstrations in a number of cities, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Peshawar, and Mardan.
Protesters and police engaged in physical altercations near the nursery area on Sharea Faisal in Karachi. The PTI workers destroyed a bus, tore down street lights, and flung stones at and set fire to police cars. According to reports, police shot tear gas rounds at the demonstrators.
Other cities where protests took place also saw public property damaged, including Rawalpindi and Lahore.
Zaidi was released from jail on bond just days before his arrest after reaching an "out-of-court settlement" with the complainant in a fraud case.
At least 23 PTI workers have also been detained as a result of the demonstrations at Sharea Faisal.